Easter in Brazil

The significance of Easter takes me back to Brazil and the strong Catholic faith of the people there. Much of my time was spent in Belo Horizonte, in the interior state of Minas Gerais, where traditions run deep. It was here that I witnessed my first Carnival. This was a very festive event for the locals to mark the beginning of Lent. The purpose of their parade was a competition of the Samba dance schools. With that kind of music, no one stands still and everyone smiles. People from the surrounding county side filled the city. The tourist did not come to this area so with Ash Wednesday coming this was a time of to let loose.
For Holy Week I went with a friend to stay with relatives in nearby Ouro Preto. This magnificent colonial city was rich from past gold rush days. Prominent Portuguese families typically funded the building a church when emigrating. Here it may have come after striking the mother lode. On Good Friday a procession was led by carriers of a statue of Mary and an appointed Jesus carrying the Cross. Their path was interwoven throughout the cobblestone streets of the city where residents jointed in the walk like the Pied Piper. By the time we reached the church several hundred followers gathered in the square. Here they set the cross and our Jesus took his station alongside two others. They stayed on the crosses till the reenactment of the removal of Christ’s body. The details escape me today but witnessing such devotion is hard to forget.